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15 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
Realigning Election
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-Majority party wins more seats than normal
-Fundamental shift in underlying basis of support -EX. 1932 reaction to great depression only voted for Democrats for 20 years |
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Dealighnment:
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Americans moving toward being independent than being a member of either party.
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Components of Successful Political Parties:
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1. The Party in the electorate:
-People who identify with or are registered with a political party and vote in primaries -They support their party’s candidates in the general election 2. Electoral Party: -Local, state, national party officials -Staff members, regular contributors 3. Party in office: -People who are elected or appointed to office based on their political party |
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Apportionment:
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The geographical allocation of legislative seats.
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Gerrymandering:
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The drawing of legislative district lines to magnify, diminish, or isolate the power of a group.
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Interest Group:
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An organization that seeks to influence public policy without the responsibility of running the government.
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PAC
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A group organized to raise funds for candidates and causes with the expectation of direct benefit from their contribution
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Public Interest Group:
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Same as PAC but without the expectation of a direct benefit from their contribution.
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Demographic factors of participation:
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1. Age: Older you are more likely you will vote
2. Income: Higher income, more voting 3. Education: Higher education, higher participation 4. Race: Whites vote more than blacks, gap closing |
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How I can participate:
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1. Register and vote
2. Join a political party 3. Join an interest group 4. Talk about politics |
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Elements that lower voter turnout:
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. Decline of individual motivations to vote
2. Decline of outside encouragement to vote 3. Decline of social connectedness |
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Why people feel lower voter turnout is not a problem:
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1. May signify all is well in the country and people’s tensions are at ease
2. The uninformed are the ones not showing up which is a good thing 3. Elections don’t matter anyway; a few rich people make the decisions regardless of how the vote goes |
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Why people feel lower voter turnout is a problem:
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1. People don’t vote because they feel politicians aren’t trying to fix real issues like the economy, and worry about things the middle class worries about.
2. Low turnout is a loss of opportunity for citizens to better themselves 3. It creates an unrepresentative electorate because only wealthy, educated, white people are voting. |
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Political Efficacy:
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: The belief that the citizen can make a difference by acting politically, which may be a result of the skills learned in school that make participation easier.
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Social Connectedness
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The extent to which people are integrated into society-their families, communities, churches, and other social units.
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